Golden
by WashiStar
Summary: Upon hearing his gasp of pain, the soldier that was watching over him glanced at him and let out a snort that sounded like he was choking on his own spit. [Wingfic, sort of] [Originally on AO3 & rating subject to change]
1. Broken

Hey, guys! This was my first story ever written, but I hope it's not too bad. I was a bit reluctant to post it here since I'm still pretty unsatisfied with it, but the most recent chapter I've written made me think, eh, why not?

It's going to be relatively canon for the first few chapters until the month before the expedition.

Anyway, I'll piss off and let you guys read now. :)

* * *

How many days had passed already? Weeks? Months?

He had lost count a long time ago. He could barely tell the difference between minutes and hours now, let alone days and weeks.

Sprawled on his so-called bed, for it felt no different than laying on the floor, his eyes stared blankly at the cracks in the stone ceiling. Unconsciously, he tried to lift up his arm to reach up for something, but for what, he didn't know. However, halfway through his attempt, he hissed in pain and slowly placed his arm back to his side.

Crap. How could he have forgotten? The chains binding his arms were viciously biting into his wrists. The blood had dried up for the most part now, but the wounds were always raw. Not just on his wrists, every inch of his body was covered in cuts and bruises. Since he was regularly abused and beat up, his Titan healing ability could not keep up with the damage inflicted upon his body.

Upon hearing his gasp of pain, the soldier that was watching over him glanced at him and let out a snort that sounded like he was choking on his own spit.

"Serves ya right, ya fuckin' monster. You deserve all the shit…appenin' to ya. I dun' even know why they be keepin'…in here. A disgustin' thing like you deserves to be killed in the most painful way possible. I can't believe I have to deal with this shitty…"

He was zoning in and out. There was no point in listening to their jeers and voices full of revulsion and contempt. He had heard these insults so often that he had begun to accept that they were true. He didn't need to be constantly reminded of what he was. He already knew; he was a monster.

At some point the soldier had grown bored of verbally abusing him, turned back in his chair, and had fallen asleep.

Every day after since the time the Scouting Legion had left him, Eren had faced constant torture and abuse. He was malnourished and his once fit body appeared to be no more than skin attached to his bones. If he was lucky, he would get a meal a day. Some days the soldiers came to his cell and just beat him until he could no longer keep his eyes open and blacked out.

Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, Eren slowly tried to sit up and reach around his back despite his arm protesting in pain. Gently, he brushed his hand along his small, dusty colored wings. He winced in pain when he touched a fracture along the base of one of his wings. The soldiers had made sure to take their time snapping the bones in his wings in various places. They had taken pleasure in hearing him cry out for them to stop. They even slapped him in the face with their wings as if to mock him that he would be unable to use his wings.

His wings were something that he treasured. They were his chance to freedom, to be able to see the outside world, to feel the sun on his back and the wind rustling through his hair.

Along with breaking his wings, the soldiers broken his resolve and will to fight back. After his wings were broken, they had refused to heal back despite the soldiers no longer aiming their attacks toward them.

Sighing at the state of his wings, he tried to lay back down on his sad excuse of a bed. He froze, however, when he heard footsteps approaching his cell. Two figures came to stand in from of his cell. He tried to focus on them, but his vision was slightly blurry. _Shit. I hope I'm not becoming blind._

When eyes finally decided to work properly, he saw that there was a woman in glasses with brown hair and large, white wings with a hint of an olive tone to them. She had a strange look in her eyes that appeared to be a cross between excitement and something else entirely. Next to her stood a taller man with blond hair parted in the middle and a mustache and beard. His wings were relatively white – the most common color for wings – but there was also a bluish undertone to them. Eren saw that both people were a part of the Scouting Legion from the emblems on their jackets.

"We apologize, Eren. Sorry to keep you waiting for so long," the woman had started to say but stopped upon noticing his appearance. "What have they done to you?" She said in a quiet voice that he almost didn't hear it.

She quickly turned and walked briskly to the still sleeping guard that didn't even realize that two people had arrived.

_So much for being a guard. _Eren thought.

The woman yanked the soldier up from the chair and shoved him against the wall. He woke up sputtering, "Wha-what the hell do you think…!" but his anger turned to fear in a split second once he saw the dangerous look in her eye.

"Just what made you think this type of treatment toward Eren was okay while we were gone?" The woman all but growled the question.

"I-I…it wasn't me! I didn't do anything! I'm, I'm just his guard, I swear!" The soldier tried to remove himself from her grasp despite his fear. He managed to escape in the end, but only because the woman had let go of her vice-like grip on his shirt. He took no time at all to sprint out from the room.

"Tsk." The woman had uttered under her breath and turned her attention back to Eren. When she faced him, her demeanor did a complete 180. She smiled at him gently. "Eren, we are so sorry for leaving you here. We had no idea that the Military Police would be such scums to treat you like this. I know we can't take away all the pain that you have suffered here, but on the bright side, it seems like you'll be able to get out of here soon!" She tried to sound cheery but Eren could still see in her eyes that she was upset at his condition.

Right after the woman had spoken to Eren, two soldiers walked him wordlessly and approached his cell to let him out. The two of them were from the Military Police and the woman looked like she wanted to say something to them, but held her tongue and went to carefully help Eren out from his shackles.

"Sorry, Eren, but we're going to have to put handcuffs on you. Please bear with it for now." She stared at him with a sad look behind her eyes but kept a smile on her face to try to keep a cheery mood. Eren simply nodded.

Eren's mind and body were still jumbled. He couldn't believe that this was happening. Would he finally be able to leave this jail cell forever? He quickly banished the thoughts from his head; he didn't want to get his hopes up. Besides, what were the chances of them letting a monster like him free?

Once out of the room that held his jail cell, he had entered a hallway. He had difficulties walking, but he didn't care. His wings were drooping and felt heavy on his back. He tried to take his mind off the fact that they were broken.

As they were walking down the hall, the woman spoke up. "I'm with the Scouting Legion, Hanji Zoe, a squad leader. And he is…" She trailed off.

At that moment, Eren felt something breathing down his neck. He turned his head back slightly only to be surprised by the face of Hanji's companion.

"E-excuse me…?!" Eren managed to say in shock.

"…He's a squad leader as well, Mike Zakaruis is his name. And he tends to do this to everyone on the first meeting."

Eren just made a face. He was at a loss for words. _Who does that?!_

"Sniffing people is his habit," Hanji continued. "It probably means nothing, so just never mind him. I assure you, he's a capable leader, despite that strange habit." She sounded like she might have been trying to convince herself more than Eren.

Finally near the end of the hall, "Ah!" Hanji had exclaimed. He wondered what that had meant.

"Sorry…I got a little carried away with my useless chatting," she explained. "And hardly noticed we're already here…but don't worry! It's probably for the best that you know nothing beforehand, anyway!"

"Eh?" The questioning noise had escaped his lips before he even realized. _Just what was going to happen?_

"Just tell them what's on your mind, Eren. It may be presumptuous of us, but…we can only have faith in you now." She looked a bit nervous but also had an encouraging look on her face.

Had had no idea what to expect walking through the doors at the end of the hall. Once he walked in, he realized that it was a courtroom. _So I was in the court dungeon this whole time…?_

The two guards were behind him and one of them spoke up. "Proceed forward slowly."

Glancing back slightly, Eren saw Hanji looking slightly worried with her fist raised as if to give him encouragement. He walked with the two soldiers to the middle of the courtroom and stepped onto a platform.

"Kneel here." Eren did as he was told and the soldiers locked him down to the platform by attaching his handcuffs to a pole that was placed in the ground. His wings ached from being forced so close against the pole, but he chose to ignore the pain.

He looked around the room to see who was present. He noticed the head of the Military Police, Commander Pixis, and…._Huh?!_ Mikasa and Armin were present and staring at him with shocked and worried expressions. Mikasa's face changed from shocked to angry at the sight of the poor state he was in. Eren quickly turned away. He couldn't bear to see their sad expressions.

His eyes then landed on Commander Irvin and…Corporal Rivalle. He froze at the expression on the Corporal's face. If looks could kill, he would probably be dead by now. Corporal Rivaille's expression was filled with anger and hate as he stared back at Eren.


	2. Hope

Tbh, this chapter I think is pretty boring. I don't even know why I wrote it. But I did, so here it is.

* * *

Eren was stunned. He never expected someone as stoic as the Corporal to show so much emotion.

Not realizing that the anger was not directed at him, Eren looked back down to the ground. _I guess even the Corporal would find a monster like me disgusting. _He almost wanted to laugh at how stupid he was. What else was he expecting? Even though the Corporal had said he was allowed to join the Scouting Legion, there was probably no chance of him getting in now. Maybe the Corporal had just told him that to placate him. But then again, had that even happened or had his mind just made it up?

He was pulled from his thoughts when a man wearing glasses that appeared to be in his fifties sat down in a chair in front of the courtroom. Eren noticed the wings on his back were rather huge and a light brown color.

"Well then, let us begin, shall we." The man spoke in an authoritative tone.

It took Eren a moment to realize who the older man was. _If I'm not mistaken, that man is the head of all three divisions...Generalissimo Zacklay._

Zacklay was staring at some papers in his hand. "You're Eren Jaeger, correct?" And you're a soldier sworn to sacrifice your life for the cause if need be...is that right?"

"Yessir..." Eren said, still trying to gather his thoughts. _Now that I think about it, what on earth am I being charged with?_

"The usual law practices are inapplicable to you, as your case is special," Zacklay continued "The military council is now in order and the sole right to pass judgement on you rests with me. I shall decide your lifeand death, here and now. Objections?"

"None, sir!" _What other choice did I have?_

"Good. Your case is unprecidented and has brought forth two clashing viewpoints. There are people who call you a demon that will be our undoing and those who consider you our savior, our guide to hope. We are here to de decide which military division you will be entrusted to - the Military Police or the Scouting Legion."

The Chief of the Military Police, Nile Dawk was the first to speak. He had wanted Eren to be disposed of. After they did research and experimentation on him, of course. At the end of Nile's speech, a man part of the religious organization interjected that Eren should simply be executed.

Zacklay stopped them from further interrupting. "Pastor Nick, to order, please. Next, let's hear the opinion of the Scouting Legion."

"Yessir. The 13th Commander of the Scouting Legion, Irvin Smith, reporting. We officially ask Eren to join us and use his titan power to help us to return Wall Maria back to the human race. That is allI have to say."

At least Eren now knew for sure that Corporal Rivaille had actually asked him to join. Eren was shocked that he was still be able to be a part of the scouts, but what shocked him even more was the brevity of Commander Irvin's speech. Did he really want to save Eren after all?

"Hm, are you sure?" Zacklay questioned the Commander.

"Yes, sir." Irvin replied. But upon being asked by Zacklay to elaborate more on the plan, the Commander proceeded to explain the details of the mission. After Irvin's explanation, a man from the sidelines had begun to vehemently disagree with the mission plans.

Then, for the first time during the whole court session, Corporal Rivaille spoke up. "Talking big, huh, you swine. Where's the guarantee the titans will quietly sit and wait for us to finish walling up all the gates? 'We', 'us'...by 'us' you keep chanting you must mean my friends who risk their lives, protecting you, while your kind fattens up in safety, eh?"

The man began to stutter a reply but was interrupted by Pastor Nick, wings ruffled, zealously spouting something about the walls being granted by God and the humans did not have the right to modify it.

Eren wondered why Pastor Nick was butting in about his beliefs anyway. _We're saying we're putting our lives on the line for people...why don't they believe us?_

Zacklay tried to restore order in the court to proceed with the trial. "Let's get back to the business at hand. Next...Eren, I have a question for you. It seems that there is hope for you to join the Scouting Legion. However...as a soldier that you've been till now, do you really believe you can put that titan power to good use?"

"Y-yes! I do, sir!" _Ugh._ He wished he hadn't stuttered; it made him sound slightly uncertain.

"Oh..." Zacklay said in response as he looked down at his papers. "On the other hand, the the report on the recent mission to plug the gap in the wall says that after you had transformed into a titan, you swung your fist three times at Mikasa Ackerman."

Eren snapped his face toward Mikasa, shocked by this information. She stared back at him, her expression unreadable.

"Is Mikasa Ackerman Ackerman present?" Zacklay called out.

"Yes, sir...I am here." Mikasa answered, albeit reluctantly.

"Is that true that Eren attacked you?"

Mikasa had seemed unsure of how to reply to the question. She didn't want to make things worse than they already were for Eren. The expression on her face appeared to be that of a mother caught up in a life or death situation over their child. Though, that was not very far from the truth. Her gray wings drew closer to her sides. She knew she had to respond so she finally forced out, "Yes, that is true…"

Upon hearing her response, the spectators 'oohed' and made noises of discontent and concern over their own well-being.

Eren couldn't believe what he was hearing. _I tried…to kill Mikasa? Me…?_ How come he couldn't remember?

Before anyone else said anything, Mikasa quickly came to Eren's defense by saying that he had saved her life twice while he was in titan form. She had told them to consider those facts. Dawk, however, was just as quick to discredit her and brought up records of Eren and Mikasa's past. He brought up the fact that they had killed three men when both of them were at the age of nine. The Chief of the Military Police was trying to raise suspicion of Eren's basic human nature and was rather effective, too, as it created restlessness in the audience.

_Things took a turn for the worst…I…I have to say something. _Eren had no idea what he was going to say. He had to speak up; he had to say something, anything, before the situation got out of hand.

Before Eren could even open his mouth to speak, a man in the stands cried out that he had doubts about Mikasa even being human, as well. His words had caused a stir of agreements in the spectators.

Eren could not believe the direction in which the trial had gone. He could no longer stay silent. "I may be a monster, but Mikasa has nothing to do with that!" He had not felt so much anger, so much emotion in such a long time. It had been too long since he had felt anything but numbing pain throughout his body. His wings were straining to spread out, reacting to his emotions. But in his situation, their wish could not be fulfilled. "And you know what? All you did so far is speculating one-sidedly and taking guesses, how convenient of you. You won't get anywhere close to the truth of all you do is disregarding how things really are."

The crowd looked more worried and afraid after he had spoken up. _N-no good? _"And besides, what are you all scared of, when you didn't even see a titan in your whole life?" _I really need to shut my big mouth now. ...No. I'll keep talking. I'll say everything that's on my mind. These damn cowards… _"You damn spineless cowards…stop the fuss already and just invest all you got in me!" He had all but screamed the last part.

Rivaille knew that this was his chance to do what he had to. He may come to regret what he was about to do, given the already pitiful condition Eren was in, but he had no other choice. The Military Police had gotten their guns up and aimed them at Eren, ready to shoot.

_Oops…I clearly overdid it…and now things got even worse…_Eren was stating at the guns pointed at him when all of a sudden, his face swung to the right at a breakneck speed. He hadn't even realized what had happened when he saw something fly out from him and bounce off the ground. _What was that…? That was…my tooth…?_

Before Eren could even formulate another thought, something strong was forced into his gut, causing him to choke and spit out some saliva. He was then yanked up by his hair and through this movement, he managed to see that it was Rivaille that had kicked him. The Corporal's blows were unrelenting; he kept raining down kicks and punches on Eren.

Corporal Rivaille put his foot on top of Eren's head. "This is just my opinion, but when it comes to teaching somebody discipline, I believe pain is the most effective way. What you need is not a lecture, but a practical lesson. Besides, you're an easy target for my kicks now that you're crouching." He had resumed his blows against Eren, making him bruised and bloody. _Please bear with it. It will be over soon. _

Dawk had spoken up and interrupted Rivaille's attacks. "Wait, Rivaille…"

_Don't call my name casually, you pig._ "What is it?"

"It's dangerous. What if what you're doing causes him to turn into a titan?"

"…what are you saying?" _Was he shitting him?_ _Really, now? _"Weren't you guys going to dissect him?" He stared at the fear written all over their faces and smirked, one corner of his mouth lifting up just so slightly. "Huh…" _Well, let's get this over with._ "You know, seems like, after he transformed into a titan, he killed off twenty titans before he ran out of juice. The fact that he possesses intelligence can spell serious trouble for you, if he were to oppose the police as the enemy. If that happens, he will be your problem, not mine, you know… And what are you gonna do in that case? Will you really be able to kill him if you were to fight him?"

Irvin decided that it was his turn to speak. "Generalissimo Zacklay, sir, I have a proposition. A lot of things are unclear about Eren's 'titan power', that is why he will always represent a certain potential threat. In the case Eren is put under our watch, Corporal Rivaille will be able to take counter measures if need be. Rest assured, a man as skilled as the Corporal will handle the matter accordingly at the crucial moment."

"Oh…" Zacklay turned to Rivaille. "Will you really be able to 'handle the matter accordingly', Rivaille?"

"If we're talking about killing him, then I have no doubt in my ability to do so. The problem is that no option in between exists…" Rivaille trailed off as he saw the look on the black haired girl's face in the audience. _Ah, right. She's the kid's friend. _

Zacklay looked like he had come to a conclusion. "Looks like our discussion is mostly over. Let me pass a judgment, then."

Of course, Dawk feeling that he had lost tried a last desperate attempt to get Zacklay to rule in the Military Police's favor. "Irvin, I want to ask you something. What do you plan to do about the inland situation?"

Irvin's reply was coherent and straight to the point. "I fully realize that our activities in the lands beyond the walls depend on the stability of our society. As such, it was never my intention to disregard the problems of the innerland." Irvin then turned to Zacklay. "That is why I have another proposition to resolve that tension. I plan to calm the inland people's worries by proving to the public that Eren can be a valuable asset to mankind in our next mission outside the walls. I would like you to postpone your judgment until then."

"Oh…so you want to take him to the outer lands…" Zacklay had a contemplative look on his face. "It's decided then. Eren Jaeger is to be put into the Scouting Legion. However, he is to return here again depending on the mission results."

* * *

After the trial, Eren was moved to a small room and was allowed to sit on a couch that rested up against a wall. He sat halfway on the seat and tried not to disturb the two aching appendages on his back. Reaching toward his face, he tried to feel around the area where his tooth was knocked out. "Ouch, ouch ouch…" He had mumbled.

Irvin walked up to Eren and kneeled down slightly be able to view him face to face. Eren could only stare at him in awe. This was the man that he had looked up to when he was younger – the person in charge of the Scouting Legion. And the wings, the wings on Irvin's back were the largest set of wings he had ever seen in his life. Never before had he seen a pair that were so strikingly white.

"Sorry about that…You really did speak up your mind in from of the Generalissimo and other big shots unrestrainedly, after all. That gave us the perfect chance to play the card we had prepared up our sleeve. The pain you're in was also necessary to achieve our goal." The Commander extended his arm out to Eren. "You have my respect. And nice to meet you, Eren. Let's get along from now on."

Mouth agape, Eren just gawked at the Commander. _Was he serious? He respects me? I haven't done a single thing. _Shouldn't it be the other way around? He was the hero, after all, not Eren. Coming to his senses, he replied, "Yessir. Nice to meet you, too."

All of a sudden, there was a quick movement to Eren's right, causing him to flinch backward. _O-oh, it's the Corporal. _Looking at Corporal Rivaille made his body ache in the places that he had been kicked and battered. One of the Corporal's wings brushed up against his leg. Eren stared at it for a moment and felt a sudden impulse to touch the pure black feathers to see if they were as soft as they looked. _Wait, just what am I thinking?!_

Rivaille casually placed his arm around the sofa in Eren's direction. _I just sat next to him and he's scared shitless of me. Not that I blame him, though, after my actions in the courtroom. _"Say, Eren. Do you hate me?" He turned to face the boy. He couldn't very well have a subordinate that wanted to knife his back at any moment, though. But as he stared, he noticed the unique captivating teal color of the kid's eyes, the same eyes that caught his attention back when he met him in the jail cell.

"N-no…" Eren managed, "I understand the act you put up needed to be believable." When he said that, he felt a wave of relief wash over him, the heaviness that he felt in his gut when he first laid eyes on the Corporal in the courtroom had disappeared. He was glad the Corporal wasn't disgusted by him, and this made him feel the strange need to make Corporal Rivaille actually like him as a person. He truly respected that man, after all. Ah, but he didn't deserve to be asking for so much.

"Good, then." At least the kid knew to a certain extent when to let go of his emotions. He'd give the kid some credit. Not everyone would be so forgiving after getting the shit beat out of them.

Hanji had stepped in to help wipe off some of the blood on Eren. She then proceeded to berate Rivaille for his harshness. "But still, there're certain limits! You knocked out his tooth, for crying out loud! There was no need to!"

"I would think he'll take a knocked out tooth over being dissected any day." Well, his attacks might have seemed overly excessive, but that was to be expected. He did say after all, he could do no less. It wasn't like he didn't feel any sense of remorse when he did it. He wasn't some kind of sick person like those damn swine of the military that took pleasure having abused Eren when the Scouting Legion had left him. Disgusting pigs. He hadn't deserved to go through the revolting treatment that he had undergone in that small cell, no one did. Even though he didn't know Eren that well, the sight of his beat up form in the courtroom had caused such a sudden flash of anger to rise up in him, it almost shocked him.

Trying to see the extent of damage that Eren had taken, Hanji told him to open his mouth. "Eh…? Your tooth is growing back…" This information surprised her. What could this mean? Did Eren have the same regeneration ability of a titan? Oh my God, this made her so excited. She had to write this down. _Ahhh!_ _I hope I will be able to do experiments on him. No, of course I'll be able to. Well, with Eren's permission of course, but that shouldn't be a problem Hahaha! Nothing will stop me from trying to convince him. Ohhh man, I can't wait. This is going to be fabulous!_


	3. Falling

At the end of the trail, the forest began to thin out and gave way to a large opening. Past the opening lay a large slightly dilapidated castle, covered in vines weaving all around the structure. This was the former headquarters of the Scouting Legion and was where Eren would be staying for the time being until the expedition to take back Wall Maria.

There were several people that went along with Eren to escort him to the castle. They were part of the Scouting Legion, members of Corporal Rivaille's squad. The people present were three males, one female and the Corporal, as well.

When the group had reached the opening and were still quite a distance from the castle, one of the members, a man with an undercut not unlike that of the Corporal's started to explain the details of the castle and its location.

Eren heard the words that the man spoke but his mind drifted elsewhere. His thoughts went to Corporal Rivaille. _Corporal… _He was the person entrusted with Eren's life now; he would be the one responsible for ending Eren if he became out of control in his titan form. Eren never wanted that situation to occur, partly because he couldn't afford to die just yet, but mostly because he wanted to prove himself worthy to the Corporal.

Unconsciously, Eren's eyes wandered behind him, landing on Corporal Rivaille. He realized that he had been staring and noticed that the Corporal was gazing back at him, showing his usual expressionless facade. Embarrassed at having been caught staring, he quickly turned back around on his russet colored horse.

The man with the blond undercut, whose appearance was quite deceptive of his real age, noticed the exchange between the titan shifter and his idol. He decided to put the kid in his place. "Don't get cocky, noob. Titan power or whatever, but just because Corporal Rivaille was put in charge of supervising a pisspoor brat like yo-" His sentence was cut off when the jerking motion created by horseback riding made him bite his tongue, causing an unrealistic amount of blood squirt from his mouth.

* * *

The group had finally reached the old castle and placed their horses in the stables. Corporal Rivaille stood at the front door of the building and assessed the castle's condition. His subordinate on his right, Gunter Schulz, spoke up, "The building is a bit desolated, since it wasn't in use for a long time."

"This is gonna be a big problem…" There was no way Rivaille would be able to stay in such a filthy place for a whole month. The entire place needed to be cleaned. Now. He ordered his men. "Get to work, then, on the double."

Rivaille went to look around for some cleaning supplies. He found a closet on the lower floors that held some brooms, dusters, and cleaning solutions. He grabbed a bit of everything and found the room that he would be staying in. Placing the supplies on the floor, he carefully dusted off the bed, took off his cloak and folded it, placing it onto the bed. He tied a folded square cloth around his mouth to prevent himself from inhaling dust. Grabbing his supplies again, he thoroughly cleaned his room until it was in pristine condition. Once satisfied, Rivaille took off to the lower part of the building.

He opened the single double-doored window in one of the rooms to air out the dust and stuffiness. Its hinges creaked in protest due to rust and having not been used in so long.

"I'm finished with cleaning the upper floor, sir." He turned around and saw Eren standing by the door. "May I ask where my place to sleep is?"

"Your room is in the dungeon." He had replied in his typical impassive tone.

"H-huh? Another dungeon?" The thought of sleeping in another dungeon made Eren's heart seize and gut clench up for a moment. He just hoped that it wouldn't be as bad as the last one.

_I hate to do this to the kid given his last experience with dungeons, but there's no other choice. _"Of course. You can't exactly control yourself, after all. If you turn into a titan in your sleep, in the dungeon we'll be able to restrain you. That's one of the conditions that we had to accept when you were released to us – the rules that we must hold up." He didn't always agree with the orders he was given, but he would follow them out regardless, especially those given by Irvin.

Eren gave Rivaille a blank stare, like he could not believe that the Corporal actually followed orders.

Rivaille returned the look. He noticed that the boy's wings were still drooping awkwardly. _I'll tell Hanji to examine them later. _He decided to see how well Eren cleaned the upper floors. Most likely they would not meet his standards. "I'll go check the rooms you cleaned. You start cleaning here."

The upper floor contained several rooms to be used for whatever their needs during their stay. Rivaille checked the room closest to him. His eyes made a quick sweep around the room and then went to examine it in closer detail. _No. This will not do._ It was just as he expected. There was still some dirt crusted in the floorboards and a thin layer of dust coated the windowsill.

Making his way back to the lower floor, he heard Petra speaking with Eren. He chose to ignore their conversation; the cleanliness of the rooms were his main concern. "Hey, Eren."

Both Eren and Petra lurched at Rivaille's sudden appearance. It was quite comical, actually. Eren's face sported a shocked expression that looked really stupid and Petra pretended that she had been cleaning the whole time.

"Y-yessir!" Eren had managed to blurt out despite being shaken at possibly having been caught gossiping about the Corporal.

"That won't do. Go and redo the cleaning."

It was nightfall when Eren had managed to finish re-cleaning all of the rooms.

* * *

"Phew!" Eren exhaled loudly when he was finally done and in his room. _A bath would be perfect right at this moment. _Though he was sick and tired of cleaning (he had never done so much cleaning in his entire life!), washing up his body would make him feel a lot better. He gathered up his things and headed off to the bathroom.

Since he was the last one to finish cleaning, he was the only one in the large bathroom that appeared more like a smaller version of a bath house. He carefully stripped off his clothes, being extra careful when taking off his shirt as to not jostle his wings.

….His wings. They still had not healed up even after the trial in the courtroom, remaining fractured in all of the areas where they were snapped.

He sighed heavily. _They'll heal. I'm sure they will. They probably just need more time._ This was believable enough for him, since he had never broken his wings before; he had no idea how long it took for wings to recover. So instead of mulling over the fact that his wings were still not in working condition, he proceeded to wash himself.

Luckily for him, there was still some hot water left to use given that he was the last one to shower. He let the water run over his face and body, letting the stress of the day be carried away by the stream.

His mind wandered to Corporal Rivaille. Recently, his thoughts were mostly filled with that person. He didn't know why, but he wouldn't dwell on it too much. He thought of the Corporal's wings. They were the most beautiful set of wings he had ever laid eyes on. They were a sleek black color that shined with a sapphire undertone in the light, not unlike those of a raven. And of course, they were big enough to allow the Corporal to fly, unlike Eren's too small wings that had no chance of supporting his weight. Not like he could use them now anyway.

He wanted to feel Corporal Rivaille's wings, to run his hands through them. The direction his thoughts went stunned him for a moment.

"Ah, just what am I thinking?" He had spoken to himself aloud.

Trying to erase his thoughts, he began to wash his hair and body. He then went to clean his wings. When he tried to straighten them out, almost a handful feathers fell out. He was taken aback. Losing one or two feathers was normal, common. But, losing as many as he just did was certainly not normal.

_It's probably fine. Probably nothing at all._ He tried convincing himself that this just might be the healing process and left it at that.

He quickly finished his shower and joined the others in the dining room.

* * *

All of the members of Corporal Rivaille's squad were sitting at a table that had a small oil lamp in the middle illuminating the room. There was Erd Gin, who was the second in command of the squad; Gunter Schulz, who sported dark brown hair with a point in the back; Auruo Bossard, who had bitten his tongue on the way to the castle; and Petra Ral, who was the only girl of the squad.

The members chatted amongst themselves for a bit until the discussion led to wondering what it felt like when Eren transformed into a titan. Eren tried explaining a little bit, but he himself wasn't too sure either.

Rivaille interrupted their conversation. "You won't get anything new outta him other than what's already written in the reports." He then remembered Hanji. "Oh well, that won't stop her from trying, though, I'm sure. Her monkeying around with you might be the death of you, Eren." He almost felt bad for the kid.

"Eh? 'Her'?" Eren wondered who Corporal was talking about.

Before anyone could reply, someone opened the heavy wooden doors at the end of the room. "Good evening, Rivaille's squad! How do you like living in a castle?"

"Her." He finally replied to Eren. _Great. Eren better not ask her about her experiments. He's on his own if he does._

"Squad Leader Hanji." Eren recognized her. She was the woman that he met when he was allowed out of his cell.

"At present, I'm in charge of researching a couple of titans we captured alive in the city, and I'd like to ask you to assist me in my experiment tomorrow. I'm here to get your O.K."

_Eh?_ _Help her with what? _"Experiment? But I can't see what I can-"

Hanji cut him off. "Oh, you so can…you can be super zealous for starters!" _And then maybe I can take some samples of his hair, maybe his skin…ahh, a blood sample would be perfect!_

He stared at her closely. The look on her face… He remembered it was the same expression she had when he had first met her.

Well, even if he wanted to help her, he needed permission. "Um, well, you see… I'm not the one who can give you the O.K. you want… I'm not exactly free to decide what I can and can't do, so…" He trailed off.

Hanji turned to Rivaille. "Rivaille? What plans do you have regarding Eren for tomorrow?" _Heh, if it's up to Rivaille, I can just take Eren anyway regardless of any plans that he has._

Rivaille just stared at her more a moment. Should he save the boy from her clutches or should he just let her do whatever she wants? He felt kind of bad so maybe he'd give the kid a hand. Besides, there was still cleaning to be done. "Cleaning of the yard."

"Alright! It's all settled, then! Eren, see you tomorrow!" She had just completely and blatantly ignored what he said.

"Ah…okay… I would like to ask you, though, what is that experiment you're talking about?" If he was going to be involved in the experiment, Eren felt that he should at least know something about it. After asking Hanji, he earned himself a shove to the shoulder by Auruo.

"Uh-huh, I thought so. You look like you want to know more." Hanji's eyes were shielded by the glare on her glasses, but her face showed that she was clearly excited.

Rivaille was the first to get up from his chair. _I tried to help you, brat. _Eren had dug his own grave and he was not going to be a part of it. The room was quickly cleared out aside from Hanji and Eren.

That night Eren learned to never ask Hanji about her experiments ever again.


	4. Goodnight

Dawn had broken before he knew it and he was unable to get even a moment's rest. But, the most shocking thing to Eren was that Hanji STILL had things to talk to him about. He wanted to bash his head against something, anything. _Ah._ There was a table in front on him; that looked like a good place to bust his face in with.

Before he could put actions to his thoughts, a soldier burst though the arched wooden doors of the dining hall they were in. "Is Squad Leader Hanji here?!" His voice was loud enough to wake the dead. Upon spotting her, he continued. "Our test subjects…! Both titans that were out test subjects were murdered!"

* * *

The site that held the two titans was bustling with people. They were standing all around the two giant steaming piles of bones, remnants of Sawney and Bean. There was chatter in every direction throughout the crowd. Some conversations were about Hanji, some about the titans, and some about the possible culprit(s).

Eren stared at Hanji while she broke down in front of her two precious titans. He wanted to do something for her, comfort her, but he wasn't well acquainted with her. Besides, he wouldn't know where to even begin with helping her calm down. His fist bunched up a portion of his shirt underneath his cloak, trying to relieve the tightness in his chest. He hated his inability to do anything. _It's always like this. Always! I'm always useless. I can never do anything when something needs to be done the most…_

Standing next to Eren, Corporal Rivaille interrupted Eren's self-deprecation. "Let's go. The Military Police will deal with the rest." He could tell Eren was upset so he thought it best that they just leave. The boy's eyes were slightly droopy and the skin underneath his eyes ringed with dark circles. Knowing Hanji, he assumed that she hadn't allowed the kid a wink of sleep. Though, it was his own fault for spouting his mouth off like he did.

Eren gave a shaky reply "Y-yes…"

Before they could leave, Commander Irvin called out to Eren.

"Commander?! What's going on?"

Strong hands landed on Eren's shoulders and the Commander spoke up. "What does it look like to you? Who is the enemy, in your opinion?"

It took Eren's brain a moment to register that Commander Irvin had spoken. It had not, however, comprehended the meaning behind his words. "Huh?" _What was the Commander talking about? _

"Sorry for asking you strange questions." Irvin had replied after a short pause. He gave Eren a last gentle pat to the shoulder before leaving. All Eren could do was stare at Commander Irvin's retreating back, mouth faintly parted.

"Oi, Eren. Let's go." Rivaille was tired of standing around. He didn't expect Eren to understand Irvin's question, anyway. It was a waste of breath and time asking the kid, but Irvin being Irvin was thorough as always.

"Ah, okay, Corporal Riv-ahh…lle" Eren tried not to yawn, but he was just so tired. He quickly finished the name to try and cover it up.

Rivaille almost smirked at the kid's sad attempt to conceal his yawn. "Alright, come on, hurry it up. Don't just stand there looking constipated."

"Y-yes, sir!" He didn't look constipated…did he?

* * *

On the trip back to the castle, it was just the Corporal and Eren. They rode their horses at a leisurely speed. Eren traveled a couple paces behind his Corporal and rested his head against the neck of his horse, wrapping his arms around its neck. He closed his eyes and listened to the soft clicking of the horses' hooves. The day had just started yet he felt so worn out; so many things had happened in such a short amount of time.

He felt himself drifting off, the slight breeze against his hair calming. "…en...ren…Eren! Sit up straight!" Gasping loudly, he jerked upwards, almost tipping himself over the side of his horse.

The expression on the boy's face was absolutely priceless. "If you didn't want to be kept up all night, you shouldn't have opened your big mouth." Rivaille could feel the corner of his mouth twitch into a crooked smile. Coughing a little, he tried to cover up the chuckle that threatened to spill from his mouth. He didn't know what it was about the kid that made him feel a sense of carefreeness, even if it was just a sliver.

Eren blinked a couple times to clear out the drowsiness that clouded his eyes. Ah, right, the Corporal and he were on their way back to the HQ. …_Wait, was I just insulted?_ "Huh? What? How was I supposed to know how obsessed Hanji is with titans?" He wasn't a psychic.

"Well, if you had taken the hint you could have avoided all of that."

"Hint? What hint? You all just abandoned me! You guys didn't even warn me!" He had meant for his words to come out angry but they sounded whinier than he had intended.

"Why do you think Auruo nudged you? Why do you think I told her you had to clean the yard? Well, you actually do, but that's not the point." Rivaille supposed he shouldn't have expected much from the kid. He did have a somewhat dopey look on his face, anyway.

A disgruntled sound escaped Eren's lips. "If that was your way of giving a hint, it sucked."

"Oh? Talking back, are we? Next time I won't even bother helping you when Hanji comes after you." Though he said that, Rivaille hadn't minded that Eren had some guts. It was good to know that he had some fire in him; the kid would need it.

"…Devil." Eren mumbled under his breath.

"What was that? You wanted to clean the entire castle again, all by yourself?" Rivaille hadn't given Eren a chance to respond. "Yes? Great. You can start tomorrow then." He would have had Eren start when they got back, but he knew the kid was tired. He didn't want a shitty, half-assed cleaning job done.

"W-what?" Eren spluttered. "No! Wait, Rivaille! I didn't say anything!" Eren hadn't realized that he dropped the title and Rivaille hadn't bothered to correct him.

* * *

When they finally reached the old castle, they were the only two there, since the Corporal had ordered his subordinates to go get supplies. Rivaille had ordered Eren to go rest. Eren complied to the command wholeheartedly and made his way to his room in the dungeon as fast as his feet could take him. Since it was still morning, he would wake up a bit later in the afternoon, so Corporal Rivaille hadn't bothered to chain him up.

He closed the wooden door to his room and swiftly shucked his boots off to the corner. His harnesses weren't on because he had stayed up all last night with Hanji and he didn't think he needed to wear them to see the murdered specimens. Sitting on his bed, he stretched his limbs and covered his mouth with his hand when he yawned loudly.

The bed wasn't very soft or comfortable, but it was better than nothing. Besides, it wasn't much different from what he had to sleep on when he was still a soldier in training. Carefully, he rested himself sideways on the bed, mindful to not lay on his wings. He sighed loudly, frustrated. He couldn't be bothered to worry about them right now, though. Eren allowed his eyes to shut and his mind to be filled with emptiness. Sleep found him quickly.

* * *

A few hours passed since Eren had fallen asleep. Rivaille thought he should get Eren up since he assumed the kid hadn't eaten yet. He took his time walking down the spiral set of stone stairs, his footsteps silent. Gently, he opened the door to Eren's room and entered soundlessly, closing the door behind him. Not even realizing that there was another person in the room, Eren stayed asleep.

Rivaille approached the bed and sat down on the edge, causing it to dip under his weight. He stared at the kid's bent wings and then to his face. Eren's brows were scrunched up and his face gave off an expression of pain. Feeling his chest clench slightly at the pitiful sight, Rivaille let out a huff to try to alleviate the sensation.

Before his mind registered what his body was doing, Rivaille's hand reached out and rubbed gentle, soothing circles against Eren's back, just beneath his wings. His hand traveled from the boy's back to hovering above the extensions on it. He paused for a moment, unsure if he should touch them, but eventually, he lightly brushed his hand on a wing, which caused it to twitch a bit. He jerked his hand back instantly as if the contact scalded him.

_Just what am I doing?_

He had managed to distract himself from his original objective. He wasn't given a chance to contemplate his actions when Eren had started to stir next to him, his expression less troubled than when Rivaille had arrived.

Rivaille removed himself from the bed and stood in front of the waking boy. "Oi, get up."

"Mmm…muh…" Eren squinted through tired eyes at a blurry figure hovering about him. His vision finally decided to focus. "Umm...ah! Corporal! What are you doing here?" Shock coated his words along with confusion.

"What, the person left in charge of you can't check up to see if you haven't shit yourself yet?"

"Uh…um…" Eren was at a loss for words. _Did I just hear him correctly?_

Rivaille let out an exasperated sigh. "You haven't eaten, yet, right? Go wash your face and get something to eat."

"Ah, yeah, okay. I'll be up in a bit." He was a little surprised that the Corporal would go out of his way to wake him up just for that. Heck, it was shocking that he even bothered to think about Eren at all let alone remember something so insignificant.

When he finally sat up, Corporal Rivaille had already left him. Groaning loudly, Eren dragged both hands over his face and clapped himself on the cheeks. _Ugh._ He was really not a waking person. It didn't matter what time he woke up; he hated waking up in general. Intertwining his hands, he faced his palms outwards and stretched his arms in front of him.

Eren sat for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He couldn't quite remember it in detail, but he knew he had a nightmare when he was sleeping. Though, he could have sworn that he felt a soothing touch comforting him before he had escaped from the demons that haunted his rest. _Well, whatever, it was probably just my imagination._ He finally put on a pair of regular shoes rather than his usual tall boots and went to wash up.

Now in the bathroom, he strolled over to the rounded porcelain sink with a wooden-framed mirror hanging above it. Looking in the mirror, he could see that his hair was disheveled, sections sticking out in every direction. With one hand, he brushed his bangs back to get them out of his face.

The handle of the sink squeaked in protest for not being used in so long when he turned it. Cupping his hands under the cold running water, he splashed some on his face. The faucet was turned off and Eren patted his face dry with a small cloth.

Once finished, he wandered to the kitchen to make some food for himself. Instead of meeting an empty kitchen like he had expected, Corporal Rivaille was standing in the kitchen spooning some soup into two bowls. _He's wearing an apron…_ It was such a strange sight, rivaling that of when he wore a bandana over his head just to do cleaning when they had first arrived. Corporal Rivaille truly was a man for cleanliness.

"Pft…" The sound escaped Eren's mouth before he could stop himself. He quickly pressed his lips tightly together, hoping that the Corporal hadn't heard.

"What was that, Jaeger? You're already full? Okay, leave." Rivaille, with his back still turned to Eren, spoke in his monotone voice, but it was laced with a bit of irritation.

"No, wait, Corporal! I'm really grateful that you made food for me," Pushing his luck, he continued. "But you shouldn't put words in my mouth like that." He frowned slightly when he finished speaking.

"You think you're in a position to order me around?" He scoffed. "And it's food for 'us'. I obviously didn't make it just for you." Rivaille placed the soup ladle back into the pot and motioned for Eren to come towards him.

"Um…" Eren didn't want to go over to Corporal Rivaille, not after his last remark.

"Are you blind? Get over here."

Eren slowly made his way over, dragging his feet every step of the way. He made sure to keep a short distance between them. "Uh…did you need me to help you?"

When Rivaille turned to face Eren, the boy flinched visibly, squeezing his eyes shut. _What the hell. I just called him over here. Did he seriously think I was going to hit him? _Feeling a touch of annoyance, he decided to tease the kid. He hovered his hand in front of Eren's face so that the boy could see the shadow that it cast from beneath his eyelids and pretended like he was going to strike him. In one swift motion, he flicked Eren on the nose because he was too short to reach the kid's forehead.

"Ah! Wha-!" Eren's response was cut short when he felt a bowl placed in each of his hands.

"If you spill them you're going to clean it up every last drop. You won't get a single bite of food and I'll make you sit there and watch me eat." Rivaille took off the apron, grabbed some bread and a couple of spoons and walked to the dining room. He glanced back and saw that Eren was just standing there staring at him dumbfounded. "Are you coming or would you prefer to starve?" Satisfied when he saw that Eren began following him, he turned around and made his way to a table.

Eren sat down across from Corporal Rivaille at the table. He carefully passed one bowl of soup to the man, trying his best not to spill anything. In return, the Corporal passed him a loaf and a spoon. Staring down at his bowl, Eren used his peripheral vision to make sure that Corporal Rivaille ate first. It hadn't seemed right to be the first one to eat when he hadn't even helped make the food. However, his plan backfired when he realized that the Corporal was just staring at him.

"Um…is there something wrong, Corporal?" He risked a glance at the man.

"You're not eating. Dissatisfied with my cooking?" Rivaille responded, feeling not far from annoyed.

Quick to respond, Eren ended up practically yelling. "No! Of course not!" He bit his bottom lip slightly embarrassed at his own outburst. He continued speaking. "I just…thought that you should eat first...since you made it and all."

His reply left Rivaille a bit astonished. He hadn't thought the kid would fret over such little things. "Just worry about yourself. Don't be concerned over stupid things like that. Eat. I don't care."

"Uh…sorry."

"Stop saying 'uh' and 'um' every time you open your mouth. If you have something to say just spit it out."

"Sorr-" Eren had begun to apologize but was cut off.

"And stop saying sorry for every little damn thing. It's unnecessary."

Eren was about to apologize for apologizing but closed his mouth when he realized his mistake. So, he opted for eating some of the soup instead and ended up being thoroughly shocked at the taste. It was absolutely delicious, possibly one of the best things he has ever eaten. Forgetting for a moment that Corporal Rivaille was sitting next to him, he began shoveling the soup into his mouth and stuffing bread into his mouth. He hadn't realized that he was getting crumbs all over the table.

"Oi, I told you to eat, not make a mess." Even though he was complaining, Rivaille was secretly happy that the kid liked his cooking so much.

"So-…okay." Eren caught himself before he said 'the word'.

Eren had continued to eat, though at a slower pace. Rivaille stared at him while taking sipping small portions of the soup. His eyes landed on the kid's wings for the second time today. "Your wings haven't healed." It wasn't a question but rather a statement. The boy looked up, mouth open still filled with food. Rivaille pulled a face.

Noticing Corporal Rivaille's expression, Eren swallowed before responding. "Oh, well…yeah, I guess. They're probably fine, though. I mean, it's never happened before, but I'm sure there's nothing wrong. They'll probably be fine in no time. I'm sure of it, really. I'm sure there's no-"

The kid had begun rambling so Rivaille cut him off. "Eren. Shut up." He saw the boy flinch and regretted his harsh tone. He tried speaking more gently. "Eren, if you think there's something wrong, you can tell me. I can get Hanji to look at them. Maybe not for a couple days, though, given what just happened to her this morning, but I'm sure she'll have no problem checking them out."

"…okay…I'll let her see them. I-I just…I was kind of scared. I didn't want to admit that there was anything wrong. I thought that maybe if I ignored them, they would get better. It was a stupid idea, I get it. I just…didn't know what else to do." Frustrated, Eren could feel the sting of tears threatening to spill from his eyes, but he fought to keep them at bay.

Rivaille saw the boy struggling to keep his emotions in check. He didn't want to see the boy cry. Something like that shouldn't really concern him but he couldn't help but feel unease at the thought. He didn't have much of an appetite anymore so he stood up and started clearing the table.

"Done?" When he saw Eren nod just barely, he cleaned up his side of the table, too. Rivaille walked into the kitchen with Eren in tow looking like a kicked puppy. He placed the dishes into the sink and began washing them. In the corner of his eye, he saw Eren fidgeting, possibly waiting to see if he could help with anything. Sighing, he passed Eren a washed bowl and a cloth. "Here. Dry this and do it properly."

Still a bit dazed in his thoughts, it took Eren a moment to react. "Y-yes, Corporal Rivaille!"

"You don't have to be so formal. We're not doing anything military related right now. Just Rivaille is fine."

"Um…" Eren wasn't sure if should call the Corporal by his name. It just felt too weird.

"What did I say before?" They had a conversation not even that long ago about the kid's 'ums' and 'uhs'.

_Ah, what the hell._ He didn't care anymore. "Yes, Rivaille!"

"Good. Now hurry up and finish drying these. And since you're up, you can actually start today with cleaning the castle."

"Whaaat! You can't be serious! There's no way I'll be able to do it all by myself." Eren hadn't even bothered trying to not sound whiney.

"I never said you had to do it all today and yes, I am completely serious. I do not joke about cleaning." At least the kid wasn't depressed anymore. It wasn't a look that suited him.

"Ughhh…" Eren thought that Rivaille didn't seem like he joked about much anyway, let alone about cleaning.

"Quit whining. I'll help you today then to show you how to clean properly."

"Wait! I just noticed, but where is everyone else?"

"Great observational skills. You realized that in such a short amount of time. Since you asked, I sent them to go get supplies. They won't be back for a few days." The kid might actually be as slow as he looked.

Rivaille could really be a jerk. "Hey, no need to be sarcastic. Will you be okay with me by yourself?"

"Hm? Don't think I can handle a brat like you by myself?"

"No…it's just, why else would you have all of the others watch over me, then?"

Rivaille sighed. Eren really needed to start using his brain more often. Well, if he had one, which he was really beginning to doubt. "They're part of my squad and they're for when I can't be here. I won't always be able to watch over you. When I have meetings to attend and places to go, they'll be my replacement. Alright, enough chitchat. Let's get cleaning."

"Okay…Rivaille." The name without a title still felt foreign on Eren's tongue.

Not that he would admit it, but Rivaille liked the way his name sounded coming from Eren's mouth.

* * *

Eren thought cleaning could not possibly get any worse than from the first time they had arrived at the castle. He was wrong. Dead wrong. And the worst thing about the whole ordeal was that they managed to only clean one room in four hours. One damn room!

Rivaille had chosen the bathroom to clean since it was a room that everyone used. He nitpicked at every single thing that Eren did. Eren cleaned the same spot four fucking times before Rivaille was satisfied. He was so done. That man was the devil incarnate. He could barely move his arms; they were completely sore from repeatedly scouring the floor for every little damn speck.

Even though Eren was tired from cleaning and wanted nothing more than to throw himself on his bed, Rivaille made him go brush his teeth before he could sleep. Really. Was he fucking serious? It had taken all of Eren's willpower not to snap back at Rivaille and at that point; he hadn't even cared that the man was his Corporal.

It was just sad how much he had struggled with such a simple task as brushing his teeth. His hand had trembled when he raised his toothbrush to his mouth and began scrubbing. He didn't care anymore. He did a half-assed job and sprinted to his room when he was done. After kicking off his shoes, he threw himself face first onto his bed.

He had almost fallen asleep when Rivaille came in to chain his wrists. Glancing up through tired eyes, he groaned loudly and mumbled, "Mmrh...'s thi' real' ness...sary? 'm not...gon' do anythin'..."

"If you behave yourself then later it won't have to be. You're just going to have to bear with it for now." Rivaille made sure to get cuffs that were loose. He had seen how the ones Eren had on in the prison had chafed the boy's wrists raw. Carefully, he lifted one of Eren's wrists. _They're a lot thinner than I expected. _He placed a cuff over it and Rivaille heard the kid suck in his breath. Trying to ignore the discomfort that the noise made him feel, he repeated his action on the other wrist. "Alright. You should be fine. Just try and get some rest. You've had a long day."

As he stood up to leave, he heard the boy whisper. "Goodnight…Rivaille."

"…Goodnight, Eren."

* * *

A/N: Longer chapter than usual. I'm always too lazy to proofread my things, so sorry for any errors. I think this chapter makes it feel like wings are nonexistent. So, again, sorry. I don't know. When I wrote this I was just really not thinking much about the plot, if there is one at all.

As for clarification since someone did mention it, in this story, they still do use 3Dmg. Wings are used in cases of emergency, such as gear malfunction, empty gas, etc. But to be honest, I don't even think I'll get to any of that. This was supposed to be a short story, not the whole shebang with the titans and all.

I still don't know where I want to go with this fic. :T I'm sort of continuing it only because I already posted it and I'd feel bad for leaving it unfinished. Anyway, thanks for reading and putting up with my crappy writing ability. I'm still trying to improve.


	5. Theories

The next couple of days Eren spent alone with Rivaille were overall uneventful. They had managed to clean and scrub all of the nooks and crannies of the castle inside and out until it practically sparkled. Rivaille had worked him down to the bone but was always mindful of his health. Despite feeling aches and pains throughout his entire body and joints, cleaning allowed him to keep his mind off of his wings. However, he was unable to ignore the problem much longer, because today Hanji would finally be able to examine them.

Eren sat by himself at the wooden table surrounded by empty chairs in the dining area of the castle, waiting for Hanji to arrive. He was still a bit worried about her since only a few days had passed since the incident with her captured titans. Rivaille had told him that Hanji was fine; she'd seen plenty of titan deaths and was the cause of more than Eren would be able to believe. But, despite Rivaille's reassurance, Eren couldn't help but feel concerned for her.

The heavy doors of the dining room were thrown open in a rush and Hanji burst through the opening. She was carrying a shockingly large amount of equipment. Under each of her arms were giant leather bags overflowing with supplies, some of which Eren could make out as tubes and needles. He was shocked that she was able to carry all of it; the two bags together nearly equaled her size.

"Hello, helloooo! How's my cute little titan shifter?" Hanji was so ridiculously excited that it practically _oozed_ from her pores. Finally she'd be able to take a better look at Eren and figure out what he's made of. Though, she decided to go ultimately because Rivaille had asked her to check Eren's wings since he believed that they were not healing properly.

"Ah, I'm alright. How about you, Miss Hanji?" Eren winced at her eagerness. He hoped that this wouldn't take as long as when he had asked about her experiments. Just the mere thought of having to listen to her go on and on…and on…AND ON…made him shudder.

"Aww, how sweet of you to ask! I feel amazing~!" She gave Eren a quick pinch on the cheek. The boy was such a sweetheart; she didn't want him wasting his energy worrying about her.

Rubbing his hurt cheek, Eren frowned as he watched her set up her things. The baggage she carried with her seemed bottomless. Even when it seemed that Hanji had unpacked an entire house, she reached in the bag and still managed to pull out more items. Thoughts aside from Hanji's crazy magical bags, Eren wondered where Rivaille was.

As if she read his thoughts, Hanji spoke up. "Rivaille may not be back for a while. He has some things he needs to do."

"Oh, okay." He tried to hide the unfounded disappointment he felt.

"Alright, alright! We're all set up now. Let's get started, shall we?"

"Uh, well, before we do anything, can I ask why you need all of these things? I thought this was just a checkup for my wings…" Looking at all of the round plates, needles, tubes, and other supplies set up on the table that he couldn't name made his stomach lurch and goose bumps spread on his arms.

"Hm? Oh, of course, of course it is! But since I'm here now, might as well take some samples and whatnot for my studies. Plus, I haven't forgotten that you agreed to do an experiment with me a few days ago." She grinned widely, a glint evident in her eyes.

Technically he had no real choice in the matter, but he wasn't going to mention that. Eren tried not to fidget, waiting for her to begin.

Hanji walked around his chair and stood behind him. "Okay, then. Let's see what's going on back here… Hmm…" She placed her one hand on the base of his wings, gently rubbing in a vertical motion to check for any abnormalities. "So, ever since you were released, they've been like this? You haven't noticed any changes at all?"

"Um, no. They haven't healed at all. Occasionally I feel some pain, but I should be able to move them a bit." He tried to demonstrate his point by lifting up his wings but froze and felt his heart stop. "Hanji…my wings are still there, right?" Bewildered, he twisted his head around to make sure for himself despite his question. "I…I can't feel them…" He stared at her, mouth slightly parted and turquoise eyes wide open in shock.

"What? Really? Let me get a closer look…" She sounded both surprised and curious. The area where his wings grew from seemed normal at a glance, so Hanji placed her face a few inches from the boy's back to really examine it. With one hand, she pushed back a wing carefully. While she was doing that, she used her other hand to try and spread the skin that connected with his wing away from it. Just barely, she noticed a small gap that should not have been there. _Interesting…_ Her brain was running a mile a minute, coming up with hundreds of hypotheses for what could be happening with Eren.

She finally came up with a couple plausible guesses, but something like this had never happened before, so she kept her mouth shut. Instead, she tried to reassure the boy. "Well, let's not jump to any conclusions yet, okay? You should be fine. I'll give you some herbs that may help with healing. This may only be temporary so don't worry too much. Let me check your health and get some blood samples before I leave."

"Are you s- Ouch! Geez, okay. No need to keep pinching my cheeks…" He really hoped that she wasn't going to make that a habit.

"Great! That's the spirit. Righty-o, let's start with your pulse and breathing first." She put on her stethoscope and placed the cool, metal chest piece against Eren's skin, causing him to shiver.

When she was satisfied with the sound of his vitals, she began to gather her samples. "Give me your arm here. You're going to feel a slight pinch when I stick the needle in, but I'm sure you can bear with it."

The whole process had taken around fifteen minutes or so. Eren had to wait for his blood to accumulate in a tube, and that was repeated three times. While he sat there, Hanji took a few strands of his hair and placed them into a glass vial. Once she was done gathering his blood for the tubes, she removed the needle and swabbed the blood from the tiny needle opening on his arm. Grabbing a round plate, she brushed the blood from the cotton bud onto it and covered it with a lid. Her things were quickly packed up and she was ready to go.

"Okay, all done! I took a good amount of blood so you may feel some dizziness. Try not to do anything too strenuous today, alright? I'll let the others know that I'm done. Okie dokie, Eren, I'll see you later. Our little experiment is going to have to be postponed for a bit, but don't you worry, we are definitely going to do it." The intensity of her smile almost blinded him.

Again, he was alone in the room. Eren sat for a few minutes, unsure of what to do next. In the end, he decided to do some training despite Hanji's advice. Now geared up, he chose to work on grappling techniques. He went at it for about an hour, only to be stopped once by Petra asking him if he felt well enough to be training. She left Eren to his own devices when he said he was alright, and she determined that he would be okay by himself.

He was a bit lightheaded and his vision blurred occasionally, but he continued regardless. Busy focusing on his exercise, Eren hadn't realized that Rivaille had returned and was watching him practice.

"Oi, Eren!"

Eren's head snapped back so quickly toward the voice, causing him to lose balance midway in his maneuvering. The grappling hook grazed the stone side of the building and bounced off.

"Ah! Oh, shit, shit!" He cursed profusely before his form crash landed into something, hard.

* * *

Sorry, short chapter. :S I have another chapter written and I'll hopefully post it soon. I don't think I'll be able to update for a while after that, though. Just everything is making me really frustrated. Life is a serious bitch. So yeah, sorry about that, guys. :(

On a side note, or rather a relevant note to the story, I had a conversation with Mooncloudpanther on why they still use 3Dmg in this story instead of their wings. They had the same idea as I did so might as well share it with those willing to listen. So, since they are pretty much 'human' for the most part, their body structure is not really suited for flying. Birds have hollow bones and are generally light for the most part so they are able to fly with no problem.

People on the other hand have solidly structured bones and muscles, making them too heavy to use their wings for long periods of time without being extremely exhausted. Yep, so that's that. It wasn't an idea that I actively thought of when I wrote this, anyway. It was just kind of in the back of my head. As of right now, I don't plan on exploring this aspect of the story that much but eh, who knows?

Anyway, I want to thank all of those who have followed and added this story to their favorites. :) And of course, last but not least, I'd like to thank all of those who reviewed this fic as well.

So, thanks to: Narutopokefan, mxn1fan, KarenElricKagamine, Mooncloudpanther, Michu-92, 9harharharley1, and a guest. Thank you for your kind words. ^ ^


	6. Breathe

"…ugh…ow…" Eren's entire body hurt like a bitch.

"…Get off of me."

Turquoise eyes snapped open. "Wha-" Eren had started to speak but gasped as he realized the position he was in. Rivaille was laying on the ground and Eren's body was draped over his superior's, his chest flush against him. His face almost a bright crimson, he hastily blurt out a string of apologies. "Oh, God, Corporal! I'm so, so sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

He tried to lift his body from Rivaille's but when he stood up too quickly, vertigo overcame him, causing him to stumble. But, before his face could kiss dirt, strong arms wrapped around Eren and stopped his fall.

Rivaille instinctively shifted his sleek, obsidian wings and enveloped the boy. Feeling the warmth radiating from Eren's body, he couldn't help but think that it was a comforting sensation. However, the kid's body was coated in a thin layer of sweat from his training and the heavy, musky odor wafted towards his nose. The first reaction Rivaille had was to push Eren away in disgust because of his filthiness, but the longer their bodies were touching, the more he wanted to squeeze Eren closer and tighter to himself and inhale the scent that he suddenly found enticing…delicious…

_Shit. Stop. Hold the fuck up, Rivaille. He's a fifteen year old kid. Only fifteen years old… Fuck._

Glossy wings fluttered back to their owner's side and Eren's body was carefully pushed away from Rivaille as he tried to clear his mind of any inappropriate thoughts he had of the brunet. His attention was drawn back to the situation at hand. This damn kid.

Before Rivaille had returned to the castle, he had bumped into Hanji and they talked about how Eren's checkup turned out. Hanji had said there wasn't anything exactly 'wrong' per say with Eren's wings, but other than that she refused to give him any more details. Damn shitty glasses. She did mention that Eren shouldn't be doing anything strenuous, because she had taken a decent amount of the boy's blood for testing…which brings him back to the predicament he was in now.

Of course, leave it to Eren to completely disregard everything his higher-ups tell him. At first Rivaille had come to give the idiot a piece of his mind, but now he felt a mix between irritation and worry.

"Eren." Brunet bangs were brushed back by slim fingers. "Hey, Eren. Just what the hell do you think you were doing, hm? I'm pretty sure that Hanji told you to lay off doing stupid shit today." Rivaille's impassive expression and tone gave away none of the concern that he felt.

Blinking a couple times, Eren tried to dispel the dizziness that impaired his movements. Still slightly disoriented, he tried to form a coherent reply, but his mouth defied him and his tongue felt like a block of lead.

"Mmm…ah…Ri-Rivaille. I, um, I was…" Eren stammered when he finally realized that once again they were in a rather compromising position. A slight blush dusted his cheeks as he attempted to get up, only to be stopped by a firm grip on his wrist.

"No, sit. Can't have you passing out on me again. It's bothersome." _Right, keep telling yourself that's the only reason._

"Um, okay…?"

Eren was pulled back down towards Rivaille and ended up practically sitting on the man's lap. Despite his initial embarrassment, Eren wasn't about to complain. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that he'd actually be able to get this close to the person he'd admired since he was a child. Though, he couldn't help but wonder how Rivaille remained seemingly nonchalant about the whole thing.

"Well?" Rivaille prompted Eren to continue what he was saying.

"Oh, right…" A sheepish chuckle escaped Eren's lips as he scratched the back of his head. "Just, uh, I didn't want to just sit around doing nothing, so I thought I should try to work on some techniques with the maneuver gear." He wasn't going to admit that he tried to imitate Rivaille.

Too bad for Eren, Rivaille had watched Eren long enough to observe his sad attempts to mimic his spin and use of reverse grip. He made a mental note to personally train Eren when he had the time. There was no way he was letting Eren go around using his own personal techniques in a half-assed manner. Well, whatever. Eren's wellbeing was what Rivaille was concerned with at the moment.

"Hn." He made a noise of acknowledgement. "Next time listen to what your superiors tell you. Especially me. I will not repeat myself, got it?"

"Ah, yes, Cor-" Rivaille interrupted him.

"Yes, what?"

Eren stared at him for a moment, brows knit in confusion, not understanding what Rivaille wanted. "Umm…yes, Rivaille?" He gave it a shot, hoping he said the right thing.

Rivaille seemed satisfied. He looked up at the sun setting in the horizon. Hues of cerulean bled into gold and crimson. "Good. Come on, the sun is setting. Let's get back to the castle." An arm snaked around Eren's midsection and effortlessly lifted him to a standing position.

Somehow a blushing Eren managed to sputter something along the lines of 'okay'.

* * *

About a week had passed and during that time, and Eren was sure he was going crazy. After his somewhat intimate encounter with Rivaille, he couldn't stop thinking about the way his fingers felt on Eren – the way they gently brushed back his bangs, the way they firmly gripped his wrist, and of course, the fucking way they felt all around his waist that made his breath catch just thinking about it.

It also didn't help that during the week Rivaille did make time to train Eren. Just the two of them. Alone. Far in the woods. Did he mention _just the two of them all very much ALONE_? _Ugh. _He groaned internally at the memory.

All geared up, they had taken their horses to a relatively dense forest of tall trees nearby the castle. Rivaille had slowed down almost to a halt and motioned for Eren to do the same. Lifting himself off of the horse, Rivaille gracefully lowered himself to the ground and all that was heard was the soft flutter from his sleek wings.

Eren had thought it was strange that someone so short could move so gracefully off something so much taller. He wouldn't dare mention it, though.

Rivaille had started him off with the basic maneuver techniques, just to observe what he was capable of. Eventually, he was pretty satisfied with Eren's performance and decided to show him how to do his own techniques. He pulled out his blades, turned one in reverse and shot his grappling hook out to the closest tree to him. The claw made a soft thunk upon impact with the tree trunk. Right before Rivaille pulled up close to the tree, he did a midair pirouette and sliced of a branch of the tree just as he would with the soft flesh at the base of a titan's neck.

As Eren watched his performance, he couldn't help but be awestruck. He gaped at Rivaille, mouth hanging wide open. Rivaille had told him to shut his filthy mouth because he was getting drool everywhere. And Eren could have sworn he heard his superior say something along the lines that he could probably catch flies with a mouth like that.

It was Eren's turn to try and when he says try he means fail miserably and fly face first into a tree. Too bad that wasn't the worst part. He didn't mind getting hurt since that was something to be expected from training. It had been after several sad attempts that Rivaille had decided to intervene. _That_ was when things started to get unbearable for Eren.

He could remember Rivaille's featherlike touches all over his body, adjusting his stance, making slight corrections at his waist, his elbows, and his hands. The way his Corporal's ghosted over his skin was almost like a caress and his body warmed to the man's touch.

One particular stroke had him almost on his knees. Rivaille had brushed his hands from Eren's waist and moved them up along Eren's chest, stopping just at the base of his ribcage. His hand was splayed flat on his chest. He vaguely remembered Rivaille saying something about clenching his chest right before spinning to keep his balance. Or so he thought. He doesn't know and he couldn't have cared a damn at that moment. The only thing running through his head was the fact that Rivaille's hand was on his chest and he could feel it firmer against him every time he took a shallow breath.

Eren was positive that his face was bright red at the time because Rivaille had asked if he was alright, if he was feeling unwell. At least he had remembered that much. He had managed to get out a shaky 'y-yeah'.

Training had resumed and Eren tried his best to follow Rivaille's corrections. Truly, he did. It was only when he was hunched over, hands on his knees and sweat dripping from his forehead, that Rivaille decided to head back. Eren hadn't exactly perfected the technique. He was far from that, but he was making progress. The only way he knew he was improving was from a mutter of 'not bad' that he had heard from Rivaille.

All throughout the week, Eren had stolen quick glances at Rivaille and other times he stared so intently that he would have bored holes into the man if it were possible. He took his time memorizing all of Rivaille's features, simple gestures, and even started to notice habits. The way his brows arched, the curve of his lips, his undercut, how his hair fell softly over his face, whenever he lifted his wings before he sat down, the adorable way he held his cup – Eren loved them all. Was love even the right word? He knew Rivaille's quirks fascinated him, at least.

Even simple things like accidental brushes – fingers grazing, shoulders bumping – made him hold his breath and chest seize up in pain, anxiety. Honestly, he didn't know how he was going to last the rest of his time here.

Sighing heavily, he pressed his forehead to the cool surface of the shower wall, letting the warm water run down his back. Just what was he going to do with himself? What if Rivaille found out about his unhealthy obsession? He really didn't want to think about it.

He proceeded to shampoo his hair and grabbed a sponge to scrub his body. Just as he was going to clean his wings, he was overcome by a sudden agonizing pain at his back. His hand flew out to grip the wall to steady himself, but the tiles were wet, causing his hand to slide right off. There was nothing for him to grab onto so his body hit the ground with such force that would surely leave bruises.

A hand desperately clutched at his chest as he struggled to catch his breath. He tried his damnedest to inhale but his lungs refused to let any air in. He gasped and sputtered, beginning to panic. _Breathe. I need to breathe!_ His back hurt so much and his ears were ringing. All he felt was pain.

Oh gods. He heard horrible crunching and cracking noises. It felt like his wings were digging themselves out of his back. His vision was blurring and he could smell the coppery scent of blood filling the shower.

He needed help and fast. Who could possibly help him in a situation like this? Mikasa and Armin weren't here. Petra had been the nicest to him so far, but he wouldn't subject her to seeing him naked. He didn't know the rest of the squad well enough to trust them. All he had left was…Rivaille.

Eren tried calling out his superior's name, but his inability to breathe made it nearly impossible. Before he could utter any sound, his vision blacked out and he succumbed to darkness.

* * *

Ugh, well, here it is. The last chapter I've written so far. It will be some time until the next update. As always, I'm unsatisfied with the results, but whatever, I guess.

Anyway, I'm soooo sorry for this cliff hanger. I'm also sorry for this being exposition heavy and lacking a lot of I'm not very good/confident in writing their personalities, it's just easier for me to write like this.

Hopefully when I don't feel this horrible anxiety and have terrible writer's block (it's not so much the plot, but rather uncertainty with diction) I'll be able to get the next chapter out. :S

Thanks for all of the faves/follows/reviews. I'm poor with words and I couldn't possibly properly convey how much each of them means to me, so you'll just have believe that all of my viewers are important to me. So yeah, thank you so very much for your continued support. Love you people to bits.

Until next time.


	7. Nightmare

Oh, hey, look who's a liar about updating. Well, I wasn't planning on updating, but your lovely comments made me feel like writing another chapter. :S

And uh, sorry if this is a shit chapter, though. I decided to write it like this because...it just seemed more appropriate. I can't do with the angst and suffering right now so I guess maybe the next chapter will be sort of more Rivaille's POV. Never really wrote anything super depressing before so it'll be something new. Any thoughts if I should do it 1st person? I dunno if I'm comfortable writing like that though since I haven't done it before either. If not, I'll just stick to 3rd person.

Alright, I'll let you guys read now.

* * *

Everything was blurred, dark. His senses felt dulled, as if he were not fully present in his own body. Wind whipped around his body, causing wisps of hair to flutter in his face, but the sensation did not reach his skin.

He was…running? It didn't feel like his feet were propelling him anywhere, but somehow his mind registered that that was what he was doing.

The scenery became brighter, clearer, and he could see at the end of his vision a large, towering form. Consciously, he willed his legs to pump faster towards the figure. He was running, running, running. But the more he ran, the farther the distance seemed to grow.

Frustration was the emotion that he believed he felt. All of a sudden, his legs seized up and the scenery rushed forward until it was right in front of him, leaving him breathless. His heart was pumping a mile a minute and the throbbing sensation resonated throughout his entire body.

His throat constricted at the sight before him and he was overcome with a feeling of raw fury. It was a titan and in its bone crushing grip was his mother. Enraged, he snarled, baring his teeth, and sprinted towards the giant with a murderous intent.

Suddenly, the person in the monster's hand was no longer his mother, but rather it was Rivaille.

'No!' his mind cried out. He needed to do something, anything.

Wings. He felt his wings flutter behind his back and with a strength he couldn't believe he possessed, he beat them. Forward, forward, forward!

He was within reach of Rivaille's hand that was stretched towards him, silently calling out for help. He strained his arm, reaching out as far as he could until it felt like it was going to pop out of its socket. Their fingertips grazed for a split second but then he started falling. The wings on his back began disintegrating, feathers and bone melting into a black sludge.

Rivaille was crushed right before his very eyes into a disfigured pile of blood, guts, and limbs. Eyes bulged out of his sockets, his lower jaw was crushed into his windpipe, and thick, crimson blood and organs leaked through the titan's fingers.

His mouth opened in a silent scream, and his face was covered with hot tears, snot, and drool. This couldn't be happening. 'No, no, no, no…' he kept repeating in his head like a mantra. He reached out his arm in a desperate attempt to somehow reach Rivaille, but then he was underwater and the scene before him disappeared.

Everything felt heavy, constricting. The water pushed on him, restricting his ability to breath. He could be deprived of oxygen no longer and his body instinctively forced him to inhale a mouthful of liquid.

Eren jolted up gasping for breath, sweaty and cheeks stained with fresh tears.

"Ugh. Shit." He groaned. His back was in excruciating pain and throbbed with the rhythm of his heartbeat.

As Eren tried to lift his hand to wipe the moisture from his face, he realized that his fingers were intertwined with someone else's. When his eyes trailed to the source, he wasn't sure if he was more relieved or shocked. Rivaille was seated in a chair, hunched over with his head resting on the bed and his wingtips just barely touching the hardwood floor.

_He looks more tired than usual._ Rivaille's eyes had darker rings underneath them and his brows were scrunched together as if he were in physical pain. Eren's gut twisted at the sight. He's never seen his superior look so vulnerable before and he felt like crying all over again. _God, I'm such a damn wimp._

With his free hand, he brushed some strands of hair out of Rivaille's face, fingertips gently grazing his cheek. Before he could retract his limb, a hand flew out and grasped his wrist, causing him to gasp in shock.

"A-ah! Sorry!" Eren knew for sure his face was bright red so he turned away from Rivaille.

Suddenly, he was pulled into a bone crushing embrace and Eren's entire body stiffened in surprise. He opened his mouth as if to say something but no words came out. For some reason, only two words crossed his mind. _I'm sweaty._

Instead, he heard Rivaille mumbling into the crook of his neck. "Eren, Eren, Eren." Then the Corporal pulled back and grasped Eren's chin between his fingers, forcing the boy to look at him. "You little shit. You goddamn motherfucking little shit. Don't you dare ever pull a stunt like that again."

Eren wanted to retort that it wasn't like he did it on purpose, but it seemed more appropriate to keep his mouth shut. Well, figuratively speaking, since it was still gaping at the shock of being hugged.

"Tch, close your mouth. You look like a stupid fish," Rivaille grumbled, but in a softer tone he said, "So, how are you feeling?"

Despite hearing concern in Rivaille's words, Eren was hung over the previous insults. He didn't know why it bothered him so much since Rivaille insulted Eren on a daily basis and these words weren't even that offensive. His mind was a mess and everything was just so confusing; he wasn't sure what to think anymore.

He felt tears prick the back of his eyes, so he yanked his chin from Rivaille's fingers and turned away, refusing to answer the question. Eren knew he was being a crybaby, and he hated himself for being like this, but he was just too exhausted at the moment to give a damn.

Rivaille's eyes widened at Eren's reaction. _Shit._ He felt his chest clench at the fact that he was the one that made Eren sad. Honestly, he was complete ass with kids and people in general. He wasn't used to comforting people so he had no idea how to deal with Eren. Regardless, something had to be done about the dejected boy.

"Hey, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to make you upset."

Eren felt the bed dip next to him but all he could think about was that Rivaille had apologized and how it made him feel even if just a bit fuzzy inside. It was kind of like if he swallowed a kitten, but then again that was a pretty gross comparison. Rivaille, his Corporal, had freaking apologized to him for something so insignificant. Once again, he was at a loss for words.

A hand tentatively grasped Eren's shoulder and turned him around.

"Eren, hey, look at me. You know I didn't mean that."

The tone of Rivaille's voice made Eren finally look at him. He didn't think he had ever heard his Corporal's voice sound so strained before. One look was all it took for tears to flow uncontrollably from Eren's eyes. Rivaille's expression looked hurt, regretful, and it was all his fault for being such a child about everything. Always, always he caused other people pain and he truly hated that part about him.

"O-oi! Why are you crying? Were you really that bothered by what I said?"

Rivaille had not been this panicked in a long time. Titans, he could deal with them. Annoyances like Hanji, he could deal with them, too. Crying boys, however, were a whole different animal that he had zero experience with. So, he did the only thing that came to his mind; he pulled Eren close and pressed the brunet's tear-streaked face against his chest and enveloped the both of them beneath his soft, black tufts.

At Rivaille's actions, Eren cried harder, hiccupping as his hands slowly moved to clutch his Corporal's white dress shirt that soon became soaked by warm tears and mucus.

His hand moved to rub soothing circles on Eren's back just beneath were his wings once were. That fact disturbed Rivaille greatly, because during the time the two of them have spent with each other, he noticed how Eren's eyes always looked longingly at his and his members' broad and fully developed wings. He could tell that they were something the boy held dear to himself, and he saw how Eren was clearly devastated when he realized that his were not healing.

Sadly enough that couldn't even be a concern anymore, because Eren no longer had wings to be worried about. The thought cut straight through Rivaille's heart because the damn kid did nothing to deserve any of this. As if being the one thing you despised the most weren't enough.

But hey, _c'est la vie_. Not that Rivaille was so easily placated, though, because fuck life. If you truly wish to accomplish anything you have to bend life over and fuck it up the ass to get what you want.

Eren's sobs gradually subsided as he felt lulled into a more calm state as Rivaille continued silently caressing his back. He felt tired. Tired of everything. He pressed his face closer into Rivaille's firm chest and moved his arms to wrap around the man's waist.

All he wanted to do was sleep now, but he was scared. Scared that he would have nightmares again. Scared that he would cease to hear the slow rhythm of a heartbeat in this chest. Scared that he would no longer be able to feel this warmth beneath his fingertips.

So Eren pulled back to see the face of the man, his Corporal, whom he wasn't able to save in his dreams, to confirm that yes, he was still alive. Still breathing, still wearing his usual apathetic expression, and still able to scold the living daylights out of him. The last thought caused a small chuckle to escape his lips and lifted his spirits, even if just barely.

"Oh? Feeling better yet?" He wondered what could have caused the sudden mood change in Eren. Staring down at his tear and snot stained shirt, Rivaille couldn't help but grimace. _Gross._

"Pfft…" Eren let out another soft laugh at his utterly disgusted face. Upon seeing Rivaille's glare, he quickly apologized and gave him a slight smile. "Sorry, sorry. I just kind of missed your face."

It was only after the words passed his lips and seeing Rivaille's single arched questioning brow that he realized just what he had said. "U-um, n-no, I mean…uh…" What did he mean?

A flustered Eren was…cute. Albeit sweaty, puffy eyed, and gross, but cute nonetheless. Well, it didn't really matter what Eren meant by his statement. All Rivaille cared about at this point was that the boy was alright.

"Hm. Whatever, as long as you're okay."

"Uh, yeah. Just a bit tired, I guess." He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, glad that Rivaille dropped the subject.

"Mmm, just like a cat." Rivaille muttered. Eren had slept for two days straight, but that wasn't extremely shocking given what had happened. "What about your back?"

"I…it hurts a bit." He chewed on his bottom lip.

It was more like a whole fucking lot, but he didn't want to worry his Corporal more than necessary. Honestly, he just didn't want to talk about it. He had an idea now regarding what had happened, if the bandages wrapped high around his chest were any indication. No, if he talked about it he was sure he was going to break down all over again.

As if Rivaille could read his mind, he didn't push the subject any further. "Alright. Just get some more rest then, okay? I'll have Hanji check you when you wake up again."

He reached out a hand and cupped the side of Eren's face, thumb wiping away a stray tear that was left. When he stood up to leave, a hand grasped his wrist, stopping him.

"Wait! Please…please stay until I fall asleep." Eren cried out desperately, panic bleeding into his words.

An audible sigh escaped Rivaille's lips. "Fine, hurry up and lie down."

When Eren finally rested his head on the pillow, he realized that this bed was most certainly not his, as it was far too comfortable.

"Where…?" He trailed off.

"We're in my room."

"Wha- but…!" Where would Rivaille sleep? "What about y-"

"Tch. Stop talking. Just care about yourself. Go to sleep."

"Bu-"

"_Sleep_." Rivaille said in a final tone. "I'll be here. Don't worry." As if to prove his point, Rivaille reached out and interlaced his fingers with Eren's, giving them a firm, reassuring squeeze.

"Fine," Eren uttered and under his breath he grumbled, "Fascist, dictator, tyrant…" Though, he was secretly pleased about their intertwined fingers. It felt nice. _Warm._

Rivaille heard Eren as clear as day but he chose to ignore the name-calling, since the boy's eyes were already drooped from fatigue. Soon enough, the brunet was fast asleep. Yet, despite his presence, Rivaille still noticed that there was still a slight crease between Eren's brows.

With his free hand, he brushed stray strands of hair out of Eren's face. He used his thumb to gently smooth out the small furrow.

_Just what haunts your thoughts?_

* * *

After getting about halfway through this chapter, I realized that...I HECKED UP. I think I was originally going to do the spoon scene before all of this happened... Gah, I don't know. I'll try to include it in a future chapter maybe. It might end up being a bit different from what I had originally wanted, though. :X

Sorry if the nightmare scene seemed a bit awkward or boring. I wasn't really sure how to approach it. Plus, I've never written any gore or anything like that, even if it was just a small line. :I

Alright, since this chapter isn't very cliff-hanger-y I think it should be okay for me to crawl back to my hole. I'm still not up for writing and I'm afraid it shows in my work. So yeah, I can't promise updates or anything.

Ah, yeah, sorry for being all 'hipster' and shit with the "c'est la vie" and all that. It just seemed kind of appropriate...sort of. I just wanted to make it seem that Rivaille was French in some way. I'd only taken 2 years of French in high school so my knowledge of the language is pretty much nonexistent.

Okay then, I just want to say thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter: Michu-92, Mooncloudpanther, MercySummer, LadyGhai, mx1nfan, Jeager's Paradise, and my two guests Ale, and well, guest. Lol. So yeah, this chapter was made possible thanks to you guys. I really do love you all in a non-creepy way. C:


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